Republican Tom Corbett will be Pennsylvania's 46th governor

Republican Tom Corbett became Pennsylvania’s 46th governor by employing a clear and consistent message of cutting taxes and slashing state spending.

Unofficial statewide results showed Corbett comfortably defeating Democratic nominee Dan Onorato Tuesday night, winning about 54 percent of the vote to Onorato’s 46 percent. Corbett won at least 62 counties, including all the midstate counties, based on late returns.

Like Republicans nationwide, Corbett campaigned strongly for lowering taxes to make the state more business friendly and reigning in government spending. He pledged not to raise any taxes or impose any new taxes. And he opposed a tax on natural gas drilling.

Corbett will enjoy a Republican majority in the General Assembly as he pursues his goals. Republicans reclaimed the majority in the state House of Representatives, and the GOP controls the state Senate.

Without new revenue, Corbett will have to fulfill his promise to cut spending significantly. Projections show Pennsylvania could face a $4 billion to $5 billion shortfall next year.

Political analysts pegged Corbett’s victory on his campaign’s clear focus and ability to avoid any game-changing gaffes while out on the trail.

“I think the consistent message is always important so voters can hone in on what you’re for,” said Jack Treadway, a retired political science professor at Kutztown University. “That Republican message has been pretty much everywhere. That’s clearly what voters are responding to this time and it was a good approach.”

Corbett’s office indicted 25 people with ties to the state Legislature, accusing them of using taxpayer money and resources to aid re-election campaigns. Several have been convicted, including former Rep. Mike Veon.

Critics questioned if Corbett should be running such an investigation while running for governor. Some said he should step down as Attorney General. Still, Corbett earned statewide name recognition that Onorato was struggling to achieve even two months out from Election Day.

Corbett, 61, hails from Shaler, Allegheny County, but has lived in Harrisburg for years. He will take office Jan. 18 with the newly elected Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley, 41, of Bucks County.

With his victory, Corbett preserves a half-century tradition of alternating the party of the governor every eight years. Since World War II, Pennsylvanians have always elected a Republican governor after eight years of Democratic rule.

Corbett’s victory was long-predicted in political polls that consistently put him ahead of Onorato.

“Corbett ran a very safe, on message, front-runner campaign,” said G. Terry Madonna, political analyst and pollster with Franklin & Marshall College. “He had some gaffes but nothing that proved decisive to voters.”

Onorato, 49, of Pittsburgh, had a “tough road to hoe” following an unpopular sitting Democratic governor in a year that was anti-Democrat to begin with, Madonna said.

But Onorato failed to win the typically Democratic areas he badly needed to swing a statewide victory, Madonna said.

Onorato and Corbett split Allegheny County, where they both live, but Corbett won the rest of the region.

“The nut of it is, Onorato didn’t win Philadelphia big enough and he lost the southwest,” Madonna said.

And Corbett won decisively in central Pennsylvania, winning two-thirds of the vote in the region. He scored a commanding win in Dauphin County, where Democrats outnumber Republicans.

In a year when GOP supporters bested their Democratic counterparts in energy and enthusiasm, Corbett rode the wave of anti-Democratic sentiments rooted in voters’ disapproval of Gov. Ed Rendell and frustration with Democrats generally in Washington.

A significant advertising advantage also helped Corbett spread his message. He outspent Onorato on television ads in the Harrisburg-area media market by about 2-to-1.

Fundraising in this year’s governor’s race came nowhere near the campaign cash raised in the previous two gubernatorial elections, but analysts said neither Corbett nor Onorato would lose the election due to a lack of funding.

Corbett raised more than $24 million during the primary and general elections while Onorato took in about $18 million, according to campaign contributions tallied up until a week ago.

In a sign of the importance of a Corbett victory to Republicans nationally, the Republican Governors Association pumped millions of dollars into Corbett’s coffers, including a $2 million infusion in the final week of the race.

In January, Corbett will leave his position as state attorney general. As governor, he will have the opportunity to name his successor. Any attorney general nominee would need approval of two-thirds of the state Senate to take office.

More than 3.7 million Pennsylvanians cast their votes for governor Tuesday compared to slightly more than 4 million votes cast in the 2006 governor’s race.

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